Improvement in machines for separating and cleaning wheat



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. MONTAGUE. MACHINE FOR SEPARA'IING AND CLEANING WHEAT.

Patented, Jan.9, 1877.

Inventor.-

Witn eases.-

N.FETERS. FHOTO LIYHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D c UNITED STATES PATENT@FFIGE.

GURDON MONTAGUE, OF GENEVA, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR SEPARATING AND CLEANING WHEAT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 186,041, dated January9, 1877; application filed July 17, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUEnoN MONTAGUE, of Geneva, in the county ofWalworth, State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain-Separators, of which the following is aspecification My invention consists in combining, with a reciprocatingscreen, an endless belt or apron arranged to move continuously in onedirection over and in close proximity to the upper surface of thescreen; and, also, in combining, with a screen adapted for separatingwheat from smaller impurities, a reciprocating scraper arranged totravel over the under surface of the screen, and force upward out of themeshes or openings thereof the small grain which may chance to lodgetherein, and which would otherwise find their way through the screenwith-the impurities.

In constructing my machine I arrange the upper and coarser screen in aninclined position, and, by means of any suitable mechanism, give it arapid and continuous reciprocation in the direction of its length.Immediately above and lengthwise of the screen I arrange, on twosupporting-rolls, an endless apron, the under face of which liesparallel with and in close proximity to the upper surface of the screen,and by means of any suitable devices I give the under face of the aprona continuous movement from the head toward the tail of the screen.

It will be at once perceived that by combining thecontinuously-advancing apron with the reciprocating screen, theproximate faces of the two are caused to move alternately in the sameand in opposite directions. The pressure of the apron upon the straw,sticks, oats, and other foreign matters longer than the wheat, holds thesame down flatly upon the face of the screen, so that they pass over itssurface and off at the tail, instead of falling through the meshes oropenings, which are made of such size that they permit the wheat to fallthrough sidewise, but compel the longer grain, &c.,'to turn up endwisein order to pass through. The movement of the screen and the apron inopposite directions serves to expedite the passage of the wheat throughthe meshes, to draw back and loosen such straws, sticks, 860., as maychance to lodge at their ends in the meshes or openings, and, in otherrespects, to improve the action of the parts, and insure a thorough andrapid separation of the wheat from the impurities.

I am aware that it is old to employ a moving endless apron travelingconstantly in one direction, in combination with a stationary screen,and I therefore make no claim thereto; but, in practice, I find thatgreatly-improved results are attained by giving the screen areciprocating and the apron a continuous movement, and it is to thiscombination only that I lay claim.

The second feature of my invention consists in combining, with areciprocating screen adapted to separate wheat from smaller impurities,a reciprocating scraper arranged to travel to and fro over the undersurface of the screen, and force upward out of the meshes those smallgrains or kernels of Wheat which may chance to lodge therein, and which,if undisturbed, would eventually be worked down, by the shaking of thescreen, endwise through the meshes.

In practice great difficulty is experienced in separating the smallwheat with the large from the impurities ordinarily contained therein,for the reason that when the meshes are made of sufficient size to passthe impurities, the small wheat will often lodge at one end therein, andfinally work down through. By using my scraper or rubber under thescreen, it is caused to act against the lodged grain, which generallyprotrudes slightly below the surface of the screen, and force the sameupward again out of the meshes, so that it will ride down on the surfacewith the coarse grain.

I am aware that it is old to combine with a bolting-cloth screen,through which an ascending current of air passes, a brush to remove fromits under surface the particles adhering thereto and held thereupon bythe air; but it will be seen that my arrangement differs therefrom bothin action and in effect, my scraper being designed to force the materialupward and keep it upon the upper surface of the screen, while in theother case the brush serves to remove the material which has alreadypassed through the cloth and cause it to fall therefrom.

I n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of amachine having m y improvements embodied therein Fig. 2, an endelevation of the same; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section of thesame.

A represents the frame of the machine, and B a shoe or shaker arrangedto reciprocate endwise therein, and provided with two parallel inclinedscreens, (3 and D, the former andnpper having holes or meshes of suchsize that the wheat can fall freely through, while the latter is of suchfineness as to retain the grain on its surface and pass it over thetail. E represents an inclined board mounted in the shoe or shakerbetween the two screens, and serving to conduct the wheat and smallimpurities which fall through the screen 0 to the head of screen D.

The shoe or shaker, in which the screens are rigidly secured,receivesits reciprocating motion from eccentrics k, acting against itshead and pushing it in one direction, and spiral springs j, actingagainst its foot and pushing it in the opposite direction.

F represents an endless apron, mounted on rolls a, in close proximity tothe upper sur face of the screen (J, and arranged to travel continuouslydownwarthtoward the foot of the screen.

Gr represents a longitudinal transverselyreciprocating scraper,sustained at its ends on guides 0, and arranged to travel over the undersurface of the lower screen D.

The shoe-operating eccentrics k are mounted upon a shaft, Z, at the headof the machine, as shown, said shaft being provided with two pulleys-oneto receivea driving-belt, and the other to receive a belt fortransmitting motion to all the other working parts of the machine.

The scraper D receives its motion from a belt, 11, passing aroundpulleys1', and attached to a wheel, 8, the shaft of which latter receives arocking motion from a crank, u, attached to its end, and operated bymeans of a pitman connected with a crank-pin on a wheel, to. The wheelwis operated bya pinion,a, mounted on a shaft, b, which is provided witha worm-wheel, c, actuated by a worm, d, on a transverse shaft,e., which.latter is provided l, driving a pinion, 7a on a, vertical shaft, j,

which latterfby a pinion, t, gearing into a pinion, h, on one of therolls a, drives the endless apron, as shown.

I represents a chamber connecting with an exhaust-fan, K, and providedwith a vertical suction-,tube,.c, into the side of which the grain isdelivered by the lower screen D. Achamher or pocket, d, is arranged atone side of the tube 0, and a deflector, e, arranged at the upper end ofsaid tube, to direct the grain into the pocket, the chaft'and otherlight matters being carried off through the fan. While it is preferredto operate the shoe, the apron, and the scraper by the devices aboveIdescribed, it is obvious" that other devices may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination,in a grain-separator, of a reciprocatinginclined screen and acontinuously-movin g apron, arranged to pass over the surface of thescreen toward its tail, substan' tially as shown and described.

2. In a grain-separating machine, the combination of a reciprocatingscreen adapted to separate wheat from smaller grains and impurities, anda scraper arranged to travel upon the under surface of said screen, forthe purpose of forcing upward and keeping on the surface of the screenthe small grain which may chance to lodge in its meshes or openings.

3. The combinatiomin a grain-separating machine, of a reciprocatingshoe, B, contailr ing the coarse screenG, the fine screen D, and theinclined board E, with the endless apron F and the scraper G, arrangedto operate as described, whereby the grain is separated successivelyfrom the coarse and the fine impurities, and delivered ina pure state.

GURDON MONTAGUE.

Witnesses:

JAMES SIMMONS, M. A. PENDLETON.

